Today we’d like to introduce you to Moji Okuyemi.
Moji, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hi, my name is Moji Okuyemi, an IT professional and the founder of Pearl Honey Spreads, a proud woman and black-owned company that offers amazing, preservative-free healthy alternatives to “sugar spreads” made specially for you.
Have you ever been curious why there are different names for sugar (sucrose, fructose, corn syrup, etc.) amongst the lists of ingredients on jars of spreads or condiments? In addition to this list of ingredients that you can’t even pronounce, are the fruits, which are meant to be the main nourishment. Do they even make up the bulk of the product or is it the manufactured and artificial ingredients making up the larger percentage?
These were some of the questions I couldn’t get answers to when my daughter Pearl asked me for a PB&J. As a mother who is into a healthy lifestyle and very particular about what I put into our bodies, I knew I couldn’t bring myself to feed my child that kind of food. In the quest for finding alternatives, Pearl Honey Spreads was born.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it hasn’t been a walk in the park. There are highs and lows but all worth it because in every mess, there is a message, and that helps to keep us on the path to greatness.
One challenge that I would highlight, that we are currently still figuring out, is manufacturing. We are currently making all our products in small batches by hand at a commercial kitchen. Now that the business is growing, we are looking to partner with a co packer that will be a real partner and understand the vision of the brand. We hope they will work with our recipes without wanting to add their twist. Being able to work within our budget is very challenging. We are working through it, currently vetting and hopefully, soon production issues would be a thing of the past moving on to the new challenges that come with expansion.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Pearl Honey Spreads?
Pearl Honey Spreads are healthy alternatives to sugar spreads. They are made with clean ingredients such as real fruits, raw creamed honey (sweetener), lemon juice for the tangy zing, and fruit pectin. All our products are sugar-free. We use CREAMED RAW HONEY that is locally sourced by partnering with a bee farm here in Texas.
In addition, our products are gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, coloring and preservative free making it healthy for both children and adults with or without a specialized diet. We want customers to know that our products are versatile in use. Beyond the regular PB&J, they can be used for cooking (Mango Jalapenos Preserves), baking (Cinnamon Creamed Honey), in drinks (Pear Ginger Preserves) or as condiments (Tomato Basil Preserves). There are endless possibilities. For yummy and healthy spreads just think of Pearl Honey Spreads.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking.
I am a risk-taker. Starting this brand is enough risk. I remember when I started, I kept asking myself if people are going to be receptive and will they like the product, etc. The turning point was at the 1st vendor event; it was a gluten-free expo a month after we launched. We sold $1000 plus in three days. That was when I knew we had a need to be met.
We all have to take a risk to grow in life, slow and steady, learn from each risk you take, what did I do well, what I could have done better, and bundle all that together and do it again.
Pricing:
- 10% off on 1st order
- A Jar ranges from $8-$12
- Gift Sets $15, $30
Contact Info:
- Email: Info@pearlhoneyspreads.com
- Website: www.pearlhoneyspreads.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pearl_honeyspreads/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pearlhoneyspreads
